Trust
by JazzyLady88
Summary: The Doctor and Martha answer a distress call. Danger ensues (duh).
1. Chapter 1

CHAPTER 1

"Doctor! Stop!" Martha cried in confusion, "you're hurting me!" The Doctor held her wrist tightly, against his will, dragging her sideways across the rough concrete the floor.

"I… can't…" he struggled through gritted teeth, unable to control his body, and barely holding onto his mind.

"Doctor, please…" She could see the grief in his eyes, his face contorted in anger and anguish, his tears mingling with sweat. He was a prisoner in his own body, helpless to the _Somatic Manipulation Chip _embedded at the base of his neck.

"I…" his arm muscles contracted as he tried to fight back, and he growled in pain, his grip becoming tighter. Martha gritted her teeth and stopped fighting, knowing he was defenseless against the chip that the Jal'ka'Rakh had implanted.

The Doctor had earlier detected a distress signal from a planet in the Metraenus System. The simple race of aliens indicated that their home world was under attack by the Jal'ka'Rakh, and their people were being taken as slaves to work in the Thela-latnium-rich asteroid mines.

"They're quite lovely people, really, the Toshvee," The Doctor, in his usual powder blue button-up, deep brown suit pants, and white Converse, explained to Martha as he set in coordinates. "A bit simple-minded, these people, but the greenest thumbs you'll see in the galaxy. Loyal, and peaceable. Geniuses with agriculture. Main exporters of fruits and grains. They feed the whole system, really. The whole planet is perfect for growing, and nearly every square foot has something edible being cultivated. This planetary system depends on the skills of the Toshvee. Without them, many planets would starve. They devote themselves to feeding the hungry."

"They sound wonderful. Who are the Jal'ka'Rakh?" Martha, in plain black jeans and a deep red tank top, stood next to him and watched him flip a switch; the TARDIS bucked.

"A brutish group," he answered, his eyes narrowing, "they own the asteroids and several planets. They're miners, well, not themselves, no, their slaves are the miners. Terribly dark conditions. Main element they mine is called Thela-latnium, used in the production of fuel and energy, and also preservatives and house paint and clothing, quite valuable, and the Jal'ka'Rakh have a monopoly on all known places in the system that contain significant amounts. They're a proud race, they won't get their hands dirty, but they love to pick a fight and boss people around."

The TARDIS landed. Outside were the sounds of screaming, laser-fire, and hovercraft. The Doctor and Martha exchanged worried glances. He pulled his viewing screen around and tried hailing the Leader of the planet, the original sender of the distress signal. A round, deep brown face popped up on the screen. Martha noticed the man had small slits for eyes protected by thick black eyelashes, a flattened nose, and a small mouth. The man's shoulders and arms were wide and muscular.

"Sir, we've landed," The Doctor explained.

"Doctor, be careful," The Leader answered quickly, "My sensors show that the Jal'ka'Rakh are invading the area in which you've landed. Ohhh, they're destroying the Jen-u fruit orchards!" he cried as if his own foot had been shot, flailing his large, calloused hands. "Doctor help us, billions of people depend on us for food, we cannot be taken as slaves! Our crops cannot be left and destroyed! Our race is not built for mining, we need the sunlight."

"Right!" The Doctor pulled around the other screen, locating the commanding enemy ship. "Sir, I'll have all your people back safely," he promised the Toshvee leader, and ended the transmission. The sound of screams and ships could still be heard immediately outside. He hailed the Jal'ka'Rakh ship. "Fleet of the Jal'ka'Rakh, stand down your attack on the Toshvee immediately." The Doctor demanded, gripping the console of the TARDIS and yelling into the screen.

"We do not take orders from weak strangers." Was the growling response, audio only. "You and your crew will be added to our numbers and made slaves for our mines."

"Oh really? Do you know who you're speaking to?" The Doctor grinned and glanced at Martha. A loud hum filed the cavernous room of the TARDIS, and both the Doctor and Martha shivered as a low burst of electricity passed through them.

"We have scanned your ship," the voice growled again. "We do not recognize your species', but you are suitable for mining. Prepare to be seized," and they cut off the transmission. The TARDIS jumped as a Jal'ka'Rakh ship locked on a tractor beam.

"Oh, no you don't!" the Doctor gritted his teeth and locked in new coordinates. The sounds of the attack outside vanished and was replaced by silence. Martha grabbed the view screen, but it was dark.

"Where are we?"

"We're inside the lead ship!" The Doctor laughed, "in the cargo hold. They won't be looking for us here," and he grabbed her hand and led her to the doors. "The TARDIS scanned their ship as we were being scanned on the planet, and, well, has basically reversed the signal. She's protecting us from their bio-scans, they can't even detect us with their sensors."

"So, what's the plan?"

"We're going to take control of this ship and get those people back safely." Martha smirked at the ever-present vagueness in The Doctor's "plans." He tentatively opened the door and peeked out. The room was black. He could sense it was large, and it felt cool and a bit damp. He took Martha's hand again, and stepped out onto the floor.

"Concrete?" he whispered in amusement.

"How do we get out of here?" Martha whispered, practically blind. The Doctor reached for his sonic screwdriver and realized he had left his jacket in the TARDIS.

"I'll get my sonic, don't go anywhere," he bounded back into the TARDIS, leaving Martha alone in the damp, echoing blackness. She peered into the dark, looking for any signs of walls or doors, but the only light in the room came from the small opaque windows of the TARDIS, and didn't reflect off anything. There seemed to be nothing in the room, no ceiling, no walls, no cargo containers, just an empty black expanse. She began to feel stifled, as if she were in the vacuum of a starless space, and spun around to look back at the TARDIS for comfort, feeling the wood and steadying herself on the hard concrete floor. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath to keep from getting dizzy.

"Help me…" came a small, distant voice from behind her. Martha spun toward the voice and froze.


	2. Chapter 2

CHAPTER 2

"Right! Where were we?" the Doctor bounded out of the TARDIS, his brown jacket on and buttoned, and screwdriver in hand. He grinned at her in the dim light of the TARDIS. His grin faded to a frown as he recognized Martha's expression of anxiousness and fear. He whispered, "what?"

"Doctor," she whispered back, staring into the blackness in the direction of the voice. "We're not alone in here." He reached for her hand (she welcomed his steady grip) and pointed his sonic screwdriver in the direction she was looking. _"zzzZZzzZZZZzzzzzzzZZZzzzz" _it went, and the Doctor inspected it.

"There seems to be life forms in here…" he looked concerned. Still holding Martha's hand, he lead her as he circled the TARDIS, scanning in all directions, "hundreds of them… very weak." He looked closer and gasped. "Toshvee." He pointed the screwdriver up, searching for a panel, a door, a switch, any source of power that could turn on some lights. "This way," and he gripped Martha's hand tighter, moving slowly away from the TARDIS and into the seemingly endless blackness.

"There's a panel somewhere on this wall," The Doctor pointed the screwdriver at it, only a faint glow of blue hitting the stone walls. A commotion of rustling and voices began to grow all around them.

"It's so dark in here…" Martha squeaked nervously. "I can't see a thing. What are those sounds… I can't see you, Doctor." He let his grip on her hand loosen so he could feel the wall and find the panel. "Don't," Martha protested and squeezed his hand, "don't let go." The Doctor squeezed back silently and put his screwdriver back into his inner jacket pocket. The rustling noise was growing, joined by whispers.

"Find the panel," he directed earnestly, running his free hand over the rough wall. Martha did the same, and felt the stone change to a cold metal surface.

"Here," she pulled the Doctor closer.

"Fantastic," he whispered as he pulled out the sonic screwdriver. _"ZzzzzzZZZZZZZ" _and "_Click_" and the room began to glow a faint blue as tubular lights gradually heated up. "Thela-latnium light coils," the Doctor explained. Gradually, the room lit up enough to make out everything. It was cavernous in size, completely stone. Three of the four walls were lined and stacked with hundreds of rusty cages, each roughly large enough to fit one person. And every single cage was filled. The Doctor's heart sank and he cursed under his breath at the sight of the sun-and-grass-loving Toshvee held in utter darkness, cooped up and surround by cold stone and metal. Every grimy, sunken face of the enslaved Toshvee was staring straight at the Doctor and Martha, sad eyes pleading for salvation, skin pale from lack of sunlight.

"Doctor…" Martha's voice was tinged with heartache as she realized the maliciousness of the Jal'ka'Rakh mining operations. "We have to stop this." A tear fell from her eye.

"Oh, we will," the Doctor clenched his jaw and squeezed her hand tighter. "This ends now." He looked to his left and noticed a large stone door in the wall, the only way in or out of the room. Next to the door were a group of large bins, what looked like waste receptacles. "Come on," he said and pulled her toward the door, scanning it with his screwdriver.

"You're the Doctor!" one of the Toshvee yelled. "You're going to save us!"

The Doctor turned to the healthier-looking, strong farmer, "what's your name?"

"Votarsh, sir, I'm in your debt." Martha noticed one of the farmer's eyes was bandaged, _"most likely a fresh wound from today's invasion,"_ she gathered.

"Well, Votarsh," the Doctor spoke as he walk toward the Toshvee and took hold of his shoulder, "You're right, I am the Doctor, and this is Martha Jones, and we are going to save you. I promise you that."

"Sir, if I could get out of here, I would join you right now." His gentle voice croaked with sincerity. "My people have been oppressed for years by the Jal'ka'Rakh, and the system authorities won't do a thing about it. We have simply given up, and let them take us. But our numbers are dwindling and our world is running out of cultivators. Toshveena needs us back. The entire Metraenus system needs us back."

"Votarsh, I promise you, your planet will be restored." The Doctor was grave. "Can you tell us anything about these ships?"

"Well, sir, they are fueled by Thela-latnium, of course, and this prison is automatically controlled. The locks are tied into the power system, I believe. This is the largest ship in the fleet. All of the new prisoners are left here. I was brought in just a few hours ago," he stopped to breathe, a sob caught in his throat. "The rest of my people are scattered across the asteroid mines and other planets. Please, Doctor, you have to take down the Jal'ka'Rakh."

"I plan on it." The Doctor squeezed his shoulder. A sound of footfall approached the door.

"Hide! They're coming!" Votarsh exclaimed. The Doctor instinctively pushed Martha behind the waste bins, only room enough for one.

"Find the Control Room, disable the ship, and stop these people." The Doctor instructed her in a hurried, hushed voice. He ran back to the panel and _"ZZzzzzZZZzz" _shut off the lights, then ran back to her as the light faded. "I'll go to the Leader and negotiate."

"But Doctor, don't you dare leave me." She hissed through clenched teeth.

"Do you trust me?" He looked directly into her eyes and saw her nod, then tossed her the sonic screwdriver. "Try setting 5, or 6, maybe, yes… Stay out of sight. If you can get to the TARDIS, find a Perception Filter and use it. Like I said, the TARDIS is masking our bio-signs, but the Jal'ka'Rakh can still see you." He grabbed her face and quickly kissed her forehead, "We'll save these people, we promised," then he stood and faced the door. It opened, hazy blue light slicing through the blackness, to reveal five Jal'ka'Rakh soldiers, easily a few inches taller than him, dressed in black and silver suits, with large helmets. Martha shrunk behind the bins.

"Halt!" The soldier in the middle pressed a button on his shoulder and the helmet swept back, revealing a humanoid face, but with eyes as large as fists, and skin pale and blue, yet thick. _"That explains the stone and darkness, they're a cave-dwelling race," _the Doctor mused to himself.

"Hello, you!" He flashed a grin. "You can call me The Doctor," he reached out a hand but was immediately knocked to his feet by a stun-laser blast. He fell backwards and landed hard, unconscious. It took all of Martha's strength to keep from running to his side and revealing her presence.

"Take him to the Captain," the soldier barked, exposing sharp, fanglike teeth, and all five of the men focused their attention on the Doctor in the doorway, rushing away without inspecting the room.

_"Not too bright," _Martha mused as she stumbled from behind the bins, then made her way to the TARDIS, a lighthouse in the middle of the stony prison.


	3. Chapter 3

CHAPTER 3

"Argh! Why won't you work?" Martha yelled at the sonic screwdriver and tapped it against her palm a couple times. With a Perception Filter secured from the TARDIS and hung on her neck, she decided to try to get all of the cages open, but the panel on the wall was unresponsive. She turned around and faced the darkness, speaking to the captured Toshvee. "I'm so, so sorry, but I'll have to come back for you. I promise I'll get you all out of here. If your cages unlock, I want ALL of you to get into the blue box in the middle of the room as fast as possible. Do NOT touch anything. Just wait in there. And yes, you'll all fit. Trust me." She heard several begin to cry. "I'll get you out of here, I promise!" Martha nearly started to cry as well.

"Miss Martha Jones," Votarsh spoke toward her, "Thank you."

"I'll see you soon." She nodded into the darkness, took a deep breath, and felt her way to the door and sonic'd it open. Peeking around and seeing it was clear, she worked her way down the dimly lit corridor.

_"Control Room, Control Room…" _she thought to herself, _"I need a map of the ship…" _and she spotted what looked like a monitor and made her way to it. She whispered to the sonic screwdriver, "don't fail me, now," and pointed it at the screen. It flashed hundreds of images at her within seconds. "Slow down! I'm NOT the Doctor!" she whispered at the screwdriver again, changing a few settings. Finally, the screen brought up a map, and showed her the Control Room, "How do I stop the engines?" she asked both the screen and the screwdriver. They showed her the engine system and the fuel-dumping and emergency shutdown protocol codes. "Where is the Doctor?" They brought up a room labeled _"New Prisoner Processing," _then another room labeled _"Somatic Implant Research Facility."_

_"Somatic Implant? What are they bloody doing to you?" _She suddenly heard several soldiers stomping toward her, and hid behind a bulkhead. They passed her, oblivious to her presence.

Besides the single group of soldiers in the corridor, the ship had been empty and her journey through the stony, cold passageways uneventful. She rounded a corner, one of the last few before reaching the Control Room. Her heart stopped as she heard a terrifying sound. It was The Doctor. Screaming, in agony. She rushed toward his screams, running down a few more passageways, until she found herself in front of a door with a face-sized, murky window. The screams were coming from that room. She bit her lip as her eyes welled with tears. Standing on her tiptoes, she glanced inside.

_"Oh, Doctor, what are they doing?" _she whispered to herself. Inside, she could just make out what looked like an operating room, with two Jal'ka'Rakh attending the Doctor, whose entire body and head were tightly strapped facedown on an operating table. His jacket was gone and his shirt was torn badly. Blood was oozing from the back of his neck. His screams had stopped, and her once exuberant Doctor became limp and lifeless. Her stomach churned and her heart pounded, and she couldn't keep looking. From feeling sick to feeling enraged with hate, she mustered all her strength to walk away and continue to the Control Room. _"I'm coming back for you, Doctor. I promise you."_

She found the Control Room door and sonic'd it open and peeked inside. Not a single Jal'ka'Rakh in sight. Running toward what she could only guess was the main control console, she pointed the screwdriver at it, pressed a red button, and said "begin emergency fuel dump, authorization code 8-5-J-Zero-B."

An alarm sounded, and a growling female voice announced to the room, _"emergency fuel dump in progress."_

Martha breathed a sigh of relief. _"Okay, phase two," _she thought to herself, and found a glowing white button. Speaking to the computer, she fed it the authorization code for an emergency power shutdown, and pressed the button. The female voice spoke again, _"emergency power shutdown in progress. Warning, navigation and prison lock systems compromised."_

"Yes!" Martha cried, and kissed the sonic screwdriver. "We did it, Doctor!" Her heart sank once more as she remembered the gruesome scene in the laboratory. _"Doctor, just hold on." _She found a communications monitor and connected to the prison. "Votarsh, and all Toshvee, if you can hear me, your cells should be unlocked, please get into my ship, the blue box, you'll be safe there. The Doctor, our… pilot, has been taken captive and I am going to find him. I will meet with you as soon as I can."

Martha glanced around the room, looking for some kind of weapon. _"Nothing, of course."_ She did find a metal rod, took it in her hands, and with all of her strength she bashed the main control console until it sparked and sputtered. _"Warning," _the female voice growled, _"all systems compromised, projected engine core overload in 7 minutes. Evacuate now. Warning."_

"Whoopsie!" Martha joked to herself.


	4. Chapter 4

CHAPTER 4

Suddenly the control room door opened and a formidable looking soldier walked in. Martha hid behind another bulkhead. Then she noticed that the soldier was holding The Doctor roughly by the arm. He looked only half awake, his shirt torn open, and he was covered in, what she guessed was, his own drying blood. A thick bandage covered the back of neck.

"Where is the other crewmember!" the soldier screamed, baring his awful teeth, into the Doctor's face and wrenched his arm. "Find her! Now!"

"Never…" the only word he could get out before the soldier threw him face first onto the stone floor.

"No matter, your Implant will find her for us." The soldier pulled out a small, flat, square gadget, what must have been a remote, and typed in a few commands. "I'm programming the Implant to react to your memories of the crew member. When you see her, the Implant will activate, and you will bring her to us."

_"Warning, projected engine core overload in 6 minutes. Evacuate now."_ The female computer voice reminded everyone on the ship.

"Arg! You will bring her to the Captain! You have no choice!" The soldier savagely kicked the Doctor in the stomach, the force flipping him over, and rushed out of the room. The door closed and Martha hurriedly crawled to his side.

"Oh, Doctor, Doctor!" she held his head gingerly in her hands, "what did they do to you?" her eyes welled up and her nursing instincts kicked into high-gear as she checked for his pulses and his breathing. He was alive.

"Martha…" he breathed out, eyes closed, but a thin smile on his blood-drained face. "Chip… in neck… can't control… body…" he relaxed his head into the soft touch of her hands.

"Doctor, what do I do?" She let go and burst into tears, distraught over the blood and sweat and bruises all over his body and face. She leaned forward and pressed her forehead to his. "Oh Doctor…" she sobbed.

"Get- ARGGGHH!" his body wrenched in agony as the Implant kicked in. Martha kept holding his head, and pressed his chest down to control the seizing, trying to prevent damage to his spine. Without warning, the Doctor sprang up, suddenly powerful, but his eyes were closed and his face was contorted in torment.

"Get…" he tried repeating as he rushed at her, taking her wrist tightly in his hand.

_"Warning, projected engine core overload in 5 minutes. Evacuate now."_

"Doctor, stop! You're hurting me!" He dragged her toward the door.

"I… can't…" he growled, his body wrenching again. The Implant was sending strong electrical pulses through his body, as programmed, and forced his muscles to bring her to the Captain.

"Doctor, please…" Martha cried as his grip constricted, unbearable. He continued pulling her across the floor and down the corridor.

"I…" his eyes were red and staring down at her with such sadness.

"Doctor…" Martha looked up at him in torture, and stopped fighting, standing and walking willingly so that he wasn't in so much pain. The spasms from the Implant lightened just enough so that the Doctor could force two words out.

"Sonic… Ten…" He gave her a despondent look, and she knew what she had to do.

"Will it hurt you more?" She bit her lip and pulled out the screwdriver from her back pocket. He just blinked at her, the same sad look in his eyes. She calibrated the sonic screwdriver and pointed it at the back of his neck, where the Somatic Manipulation Implant was. _"ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ" _and the Doctor screamed even louder and higher than she had ever heard before. His back arched and his hands clenched, nearly breaking Martha's wrist. He dropped to the floor in a lifeless pile.

"No, no, no, no, no!" falling with him, she sobbed uncontrollably, holding his head in her arms, rocking and cradling him, pressing her lips to his forehead, her tears mixing with his blood. "Doctor, please…" she whispered through sobs, "come back…."

A shadow appeared over them.


	5. Chapter 5

CHAPTER 5

"Miss Martha Jones," the familiar, kind voice spoke. Martha looked up to see Votarsh leaning down, gazing with concern through his one good eye. "I can carry him." And he knelt down and picked up the Doctor gracefully in his strong farming arms. "Come, we don't have much time."

_"Warning, projected engine core overload in 4 minutes. Evacuate now."_

Votarsh ran smoothly at top speeds down the stone corridors as the ship began to buckle under stress, concrete slabs sticking up and bulkheads failing. Martha ran behind, straining to keep up with the Toshvee. Rocks began breaking loose from the ceiling.

"This way," Votarsh yelled, and rounded one last corner and passed through the prison room door, Martha close behind. "All of my people are inside, I made sure of that," he told her as they stumbled towards the TARDIS, glowing a strange golden color, sensing the Doctor's pain. "It's an… interesting ship… it's…"

"Bigger on the inside," Martha finished his sentence as she pushed the door open.

_"Warning, projected engine core overload in 3 minutes. Evacuate now."_

"Can you fly it?" Votarsh asked as they entered, and glanced down at the lifeless doctor in his arms. The console room was crowded by the Toshvee people, but they quietly moved out of the way for Martha and Votarsh.

"No, that was always the Doctor's job," Martha said, exhausted from the running. "Lay him down here, next to the console," and Votarsh obliged. She knelt down and took his face in her hands, laying his head in her lap "Please, Doctor, if you're still in there, wake up…" She began tearing up again, and wiped the blood off his face with the corner of her tank top, "…I need you, Doctor," she whispered to him, gently kissing his cold lips.

He suddenly opened his eyes, wildly gasping for air, coughing and spluttering up blood. Martha felt his body spasm, shiver, then relax and close his eyes. The color began returning to his face and he was breathing normally. He let his lips curl into a pained smile and whispered "You did it, Martha."

"You're alive!" she nearly squealed, and kissed him again. "Doctor, we're all in the TARDIS, all the Toshvee, we just need you to fly us out of here… now."

The growling computer voice was relayed into the TARDIS loud speakers, _"Warning, projected engine core overload in 2 minutes. Evacuate now."_

"Stand me up," he spoke, his voice raspy and barely audible. Martha and Votarsh began to pull him up, but he grew too dizzy. "No, no, never mind, lay me down… good… yes." He let his body sink into the floor. Martha knelt by his side again.

"Doctor, we have to get out of here," Martha warned, "the ship is going to implode at any moment." Rocks were hitting the roof of the TARDIS, and the Toshvee were growing restless. Martha put her ear close to his mouth so she could hear his strained commands.

"You can do it," he whispered to Martha, smiling.

"No, I can't, I'm not you," Martha was panicking, holding his head again.

"Last used coordinates…" he coughed. "She'll do the rest…" He paused and stiffened as a bolt of pain shot through his body. Martha gently ran her hand through his hair to soothe him. He coughed again and forced out, "I trust you."

Those simple three words empowered her. "Which button?"

"It's white and silver… she'll show you." Martha stood and glanced at the console. The first button she noticed was a small white and silver one, with a circular arrow.

_"Warning, projected engine core overload in 1 minute. Evacuate now."_

Martha lunged at the button and the TARDIS lurched and vanished from the prison, just as a large slab of stone dislodged from the ceiling of the cavernous room of cages. The Toshvee screamed and held to each other as they tumbled around the room.


End file.
